Sleeping
by LightLeadingMe
Summary: "Upon my pillow, safe in bed, a thousand pictures fill my head. I cannot sleep my minds aflight and yet my limbs seem made of lead." Strauss/Rossi


Erin Strauss woke up to the sound of a rhythmic heartbeat in her ear. She lifted her head and scanned the body of David Rossi below her. She must have rolled over in her sleep because she was practically on top of him with her head on his chest, her arm across his abdomen, and her leg wedged between his. Her entire upper body was on top of his. She knew she was more of a touchy-feely-cuddling type, but this was a little extreme, even for her.

She should have gotten out of bed as soon as she woke; she and David didn't have this special arrangement to cuddle. They only needed each other for comfort - sleeping, venting, etc... They were never intimate, no matter what people around them may or may not have suspected. She lay her head back on his chest and felt him tighten his arms around her in his sleep. As she drifted off again, she couldn't help but remember how they're little agreement came about almost 4 months ago...

* * *

_*Flashback*_

Erin sat her desk with piles upon piles of cases stacked on top. Her head was propped up with her hand on her chin and her eyes were closed against her own will. She hadn't had a decent night's sleep in months between coming back from rehab, the finalization of her divorce, and her children at home for summer break, getting a few good naps in was few and far between. Forcing her eyes open, she glanced at her watch.

8:56 pm.

She shook her head and rubbed at her eyes, not caring if she smeared her makeup. She was most likely the only one in the office besides the nightly cleaning crew. She grabbed her coffee and took a sip, grimacing at the cold liquid that she got two hours prior. Maybe she just needed to go home.

Erin stood up and grabbed a few files, placing them in her brief case before slinging her purse over her shoulder and turning out the lights. She locked her office door and walked down the dark corridor to the main hallway of the BAU. As she turned the corner towards the elevators, she noticed movement from inside the bullpen. Curiosity got the best of her and she sneaked a peak inside the glass doors to find David Rossi locking up his office.

'_What the hell is he doing here so late?_' she wondered. The team had gotten back from a case two days ago and since nothing was coming up that was urgent they decided to take a few well deserved days off. Hotch, of course, only took one day off and then worked long hours for two straight days so he could spend the weekend with his son, but Rossi was supposed to be gone all week. Why was he here and at 9 o'clock at night on a Thursday?

When she noticed him coming her way, Erin turned back to the elevators and pushed the button right as the doors of the bullpen opened behind her, Rossi stepping out.

"You're here late," he commented, shuffling his jacket on his shoulders.

Erin shrugged, keeping her eyes on the closed elevator doors. "I've been back almost a month and I'm still playing catch-up."

David nodded and placed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "Going home to get a few winks before diving back in bright and early tomorrow?" he asked as the doors dinged open.

They stepped inside and David pushed the button for the parking garage. Erin chortled at his comment. "I haven't slept in months," she told him nonchalantly. "I'll probably just take a shower, read a little bit, work on the cases I brought with me and then head on back here and start all over again."

She didn't know why she was telling him this, it wasn't like he cared at all. She and David had never really gotten along, especially in the past. She always thought he was the typical man who got most things handed to him simply because he was male and he always thought she was a stuck-up bitch. They never really took the time to get to know each other so all they had were their assumptions and their stubbornness.

David looked at her, his eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the descending numbers of the floors on the elevator. "What's the story behind that? Insomnia or are you really a cold-hearted vampire like I predicted years ago?"

She smirked and shook her head at him. "Oh, David, you've always known just what to say to get a lady going." Erin rolled her eyes at him and he grinned beside her.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened in front of them. They both stepped out and began walking in the dark, practically empty parking garage. Erin noticed David striding beside her, knowing full well that his car was in the opposite direction they were heading.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm walking you to your car," he answered simply.

"Why?"

"It's 9 o'clock at night and I'm an FBI agent. I know what happens in dark, scary parking garages."

"Are you saying I can't defend myself?"

"I didn't say that-"

"But you were thinking it," she countered.

"Erin-"

"You're a bastard, you know that?" she teased.

"And you're a bitch. There, we're even," he smiled a very charming smile at her and Erin tried not to grin back.

They continued to walk in silence, the warm summer air blowing a nice breeze throughout the garage.

"So, are the kids home for summer?" David asked, obviously trying to make conversation.

"Yeah," she replied with a sigh. "My two oldest are moseying about the house, ignoring my suggestions for them to get summer jobs and my youngest is home for a few weeks until cheerleading camp starts at the end of July."

He nodded and they took a few steps before he questioned her again. "So, are they the reason for your lack of sleep?"

They reached her car and she turned to face him, a look of suspicion across her face. "Why do you ask?"

David shrugged. "I was just curious. You're not looking your best recently-"

"Wow, you're great a compliments," she muttered, but he continued.

"-and since you said you haven't been sleeping I was just wondering as to what the cause was."

"Stress," she ground out, beginning to become annoyed with him, like usual.

"I see," he said. "I haven't been sleeping well myself."

"Congratulations." She couldn't help it, her sarcasm always skyrocketted any time she was in the same room with him. She was about to turn and bid him goodnight, but she paused when she realized he still had something on his mind.

"I was thinking," he started.

"That's never good."

He ignored her and continued, keeping his eyes anywhere but her face. "I mean, I'm sure your house is pretty crazy with the kids staying up late and probably having sleep overs and what-not," he paused and Erin knit her eyebrows together, trying to figure out where exactly he was heading with this. "Well, you could come over to my place if you want, I have a guest bedroom. And I live away from the city so there's no traffic or anything to disturb you, only crickets and frogs."

Erin stared at him, her jaw slacked and her mind blank. Did David Rossi just offer her his guest bedroom? Was she in an alternate universe? Did he not remember what she has done to his team, the people he considered his family, over the past few years? He even opened up to her and told her he was having similar issues when it came to lack of sleep. What exactly was his angle?

"I'm not having sex with you, David," she told him, the first thing popping into her mind.

He shook his head at her and laughed. "I'm not coming on to you, Erin. We're adults and we need sleep. I offered the guest bedroom which isn't even on the same floor as my room. I was just trying to help out."

Even though he was making light of it, she heard his offended tone and suddenly felt bad. "Well, I appreciate the offer," she told him, her hand resting on his arm gratefully. "Really, I do, but I just don't think it's a good idea, personally or professionally."

He nodded his head and took a step back. "I understand." He began to walk away and called back over his shoulder, "It's a standing offer! Just call if you decide to take me up on it!"

She grinned and yelled out a "thank you!" as he shrugged and disappeared from sight. She got in the car and drove home, occasionally smacking herself to stay awake so she could return to her children in one piece. When she arrived, all three kids were awake; her son playing on his drums loudly in his room, and her two girls watching a horror movie in the living room. Her miniature black poodle, Shadow, was at the top of the stairs, yapping wildly at the loud noises coming from her son's room. Almost immediately Erin felt a strong headache coming on and she about broke down in tears.

Without even contemplating the rash decision she was about to make, Erin dug in her purse and whipped out her phone, dialing as she stormed to her bedroom to pack a bag. David answered on the second ring and she didn't even greet him. She just told him she'd be there in an hour and then she hung up. With her bag packed and slung over her shoulder, Erin walked back into the living room.

"Where are you going?" her eldest, Ashley, asked.

"Out," she replied and her children didn't say anything, knowing better than to question their mother when she had her mind set on something.

"When will you be back?" Elise, her younger daughter spoke up this time.

"Not until tomorrow night. I've got a lot of work to do." Seeing the looks of disappointment on her girls' faces, Erin quickly added, "But I decided that I'm not going in at all this weekend so we can all do something. Maybe shopping spree, or swimming?"

Ashley and Elise smiled, hugging their mother tightly. "Sounds great, mom."

She kissed her girls goodnight and called up the stairs to tell Nick goodnight.

As soon as Erin started her car and drove away from her home, she began to question and doubt herself. What the hell did she think she was doing? Leaving her children at home and going to a colleague's house just to get some sleep? A male colleague who was the bane of her existence for the past 23 years? A yawn suddenly broke out and Erin felt all her doubts and craziness leave her body. At this point, she would do anything for a good night's sleep.

* * *

Erin arrived at his place around 11pm and she barely made it to his front door, ready to collapse at any moment. He lived out away from the city in a nice secluded area where his closet neighbor was almost a mile down the road. She suspected he picked this house because he needed a quiet place to write, but she wondered how he possibly couldn't sleep? The sound of the crickets chirping and the frogs croaking were enough to knock her out in a second.

David opened the door and greeted her with a smile, stepping aside to let her in. "Glad you changed your mind," he told her.

Erin wasn't surprised at his beautiful and large home. David Rossi was a man of good taste, he always had been. The aroma of garlic, manly musk, and mint filled her nostrils and the headache she had earlier was wiped away.

"I'm making a late dinner if you're hungry," he said, leading her into the kitchen. "It'll be a few minutes though."

"That sounds and smells lovely, thank you." She was surprised he hadn't thrown any cracks at her yet. He was a completely different man in his own home than he was in the office and she didn't know why she was so suspicious.

"I'll show you the guest room."

As she followed him down the hallway and up the stairs, she took in his appearance. He was wearing loose sweatpants and a matching button down pajama shirt that was unbuttoned, showing the wife beater we wore underneath. He had gained some weight since his youth, but so had she; her body hasn't been the same since her first pregnancy. He was still pretty chiseled, though, from what she could see. His chest was strong and his shoulders were wide. He just had some salt and pepper hair and a little bit of a middle-aged-man belly. It did not detract from his handsome features though, it maybe even enhanced them a bit.

"Stop checking out my ass."

His voice interrupted her thoughts and Erin snapped her eyes back up. "Don't flatter yourself."

David turned to look at her as he opened the bedroom door and she tried to push down the blush that she knew was all over her face, embarrassment from being caught checking him out.

"So, here's the room. The bathroom is the door next to the closet. I'll let you do your thing and I'll go finish dinner."

He began to walk away when her voice stopped him.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

He grinned at her again. "Anytime, Erin."

* * *

Erin took her time getting ready for bed; she took a long shower and got dressed in a t-shirt (that was way too big for her) and shorts slowly. When she trekked downstairs, tying her robe at the waist, she found David plating some pasta for them to eat.

"I hope you like carbonara," he said.

"One of my favorites, actually," she informed him as she took a seat at the breakfast bar. He joined her and they ate in a comfortable silence, only chatting every few minutes.

"Where's your dog?" she asked as she assisted him in cleaning the kitchen up.

"I have him on the back porch. He's kind of a handful and I know you don't like big dogs."

Erin felt a tingling feeling form in her stomach, touched that he actually thought about her needs when it came to his dog. "Since when did you become so considerate?"

"I've always been considerate," he laughed.

"Not towards me."

David waved her off as he started the dishwasher. "I know we've had our rough days and even rougher past, but I have always respected you, Erin."

"Bullshit," she said, placing her hands on her hips.

He let out another chuckle. "Believe what you want, you always do."

She felt anger rise within herself and was about to snap at him when a yawn surfaced. She let out a sigh and ran a tired hand through her hair. "I'm too exhausted to fight. If you'll excuse me, I'm heading off to bed."

"Goodnight," he nodded at her as she began towards the stairs. She paused and opened her mouth, but he spoke before she could. "Stop thanking me, it was all my pleasure."

"I wasn't gonna thank you, jackass."

"Liar."

* * *

Erin lay in bed and stared up at the ceiling above her. It was almost 1 am and she was still awake, her mind racing with thoughts of her children, her job, and the man who's house she was sleeping in. The crickets and frogs outside were beginning to really annoy her and she missed the bright lights of the street lamps in her subdivision streaming through the window.

This was a bad idea. She may as well just come to the fact that she'll never sleep well again. Thinking, hoping, and then praying that a glass of water may help, Erin climbed out of bed and padded quietly down the stairs in the dark house. She entered the kitchen and practically chugged an entire glass of water, her throat suddenly dry. As she began to head back to her room, she noticed a light down the hallway was on. Ignoring her mind telling her to just forget it and go back to bed, Erin tiptoed down the hallway and to the door that led to David's bedroom.

She knocked gently and waited patiently, hoping she wasn't waking him.

"Come in," he called out and Erin opened the door to peek inside.

"Hey," she mumbled. "Why are you still up?"

David sat on his bed with his laptop propped up on his lap and the TV on in the background. "I told you I wasn't sleeping well, either."

She nodded and stepped inside, keeping the door open behind her so he didn't get the wrong impression. "Apparently, this whole no kids-out in the country quiet is preventing me of sleeping," she told him. "Which sucks, cause this was my last resort."

He chuckled and let out a teasing apology as she rolled her eyes. "So, what are you working on?"

He shrugged. "Just jotting ideas down for a possible next book. My publisher is getting a little antsy."

She stalked further into the room, almost shy, and sat on the edge of the bed. "Can I hear what you have so far?"

"Sure," he said. "I'd love an opinion on which path to take."

"I'm all ears."

David began reading out loud to her and Erin shifted herself on the bed, still far enough away from him, but laying down with her head propped up on her hand and elbow. After a few minutes, David glanced at her and stopped reading. She had fallen asleep in less than five minutes and David let out a soft laugh. He closed his laptop and set it aside before rising off the bed and grabbing a quilt from the closet. He placed the blanket over Erin and climbed back in bed under the covers and turned out the light. He was expecting to stay awake and just watch her for a moment before heading to the den to finish his work, but hearing the rhythmic breathing of Erin's deep slumber at the end of the bed lulled David into a much needed sleep.

* * *

When Erin woke the next morning she found herself disoriented from the lack of noise. It took her a minute to realize that she wasn't in her home, but in the home of David Rossi, and when she did realize it, she was wondering why she felt a warm body next to her when she was supposed to be sleeping in the guest room, alone. She lifted her head to take in her surroundings and found David laying right next to her, his face inches away. Erin's body was molded to his, their legs tangled together and her arm holding him to her while David's hand was lying protectively on the small of her back.

Erin lifted her head to glance at the clock on his nightstand cursed out loud. She practically flew out of the bed, waking David up in the process.

"What's going on?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"I should be asking you that question!" she exclaimed.

"What are you talking about?" He sat up and winced at the bright sunlight streaming through the window.

"Why the hell didn't you wake me up and tell me to get back in my own bed last night?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.

"What?" David got out of bed, ignoring his screaming back that desperately needed to crack. "Are you seriously mad at me right now for letting you sleep? I thought all you wanted was some shut-eye?"

"Well, you could have at least been a gentlemen and slept in the guest room instead of cozying up to me!"

"I accidentally dozed off! I was going to head to the den, but I fell asleep unexpectedly!"

"Look," Erin sighed, holding her hand up as if it was going to stop him from going further into the argument. "I don't have time for this. I'm already two hours late for work."

Without another word, she stormed off and quickly gathered her things before leaving as quickly as possible, not even bothering to tell him goodbye.

* * *

She didn't sleep again for the next three weeks and she was back at square one. It was hard, but she eventually admitted to herself that the best sleep she ever had was in David's arms. She knew he wasn't sleeping as well, the lines deeper on his face and the bags harsher under his eyes. He was looking particularly rough when he came back from Wyoming yesterday, a week long case draining what little was left of him. She knew what this job was doing to him, what is did to the entire team. They all dealt with it in their own ways, but it seemed that David's ways were no longer working. She had informed the team to take a few days off like they had a couple weeks prior and she had to say she wasn't at all surprised to once again find Rossi leaving the BAU at almost 10 pm.

She had spotted him walking to his car and was going to call out to him, but stopped herself. What could she say? Thanks for the best sleep of my life? Sorry I was such a bitch? Care for a warm glass of milk and a long night of cuddling? She debated with herself in her car, still parked at work, for about half and hour before ultimately deciding what to do.

David opened the door after her third time knocking and Erin bit her lip in nervousness. "I'm sorry," she blurted out.

"Erin," he shook his head, confused. "What?"

She shuffled her feet and continued on. "I'm sorry, about a few weeks ago. I was just surprised waking up next to you. It was something I really expected, especially something that would come about between us. But I overreacted and I wanted to actually say thank you because that was one of the best and most peaceful nights of sleep I've probably ever had."

David listened intently to her explanation. She was sincere, how could she not be? She showed up at his doorstep for goodness sake. "Well, you're welcome," he told her. "I could say the same to you. I slept like a baby that night. Unfortunately, I haven't slept since that night..." It was then that David noticed an overnight bag in her hand. "Something else you'd like to share with the class?"

Erin smiled and stepped inside the foyer and David closed the front door. "I have a proposition for you."

"I'm listening," he crossed his arms over his chest and smirked at her.

"What do you say that whenever one or the other needs it, we meet up and have a sleepover?" She asked, her voice firm, but quiet, giving away her nervous energy. "I mean, we both agree we won't get any sleep any other way and-"

"Yes," he said, bluntly.

Erin looked at him, her eyes wide. "R-really?"

"We're both desperate, Erin. Like you said a few weeks ago, this is the last resort. We obviously get along well enough, outside of work that is, so why the hell not? A few nights a week couldn't hurt. And it's just sleep."

Erin nodded at him and smiled. "Right. Just sleep." She held out her hand and David accepted the hand shake.

_*End flashback*_

* * *

Erin awoke again to David snuggling his face in her neck. They had shifted again and now she was on her back and he was curled into her side, his arms still protectively around her. "Morning," she mumbled sleepily.

"Morning," he yawned.

Erin lifted her arm and gently scratched her nails down his bare back, loving the way he shivered against her body from the sensation. "How'd you sleep?"

"Like a rock, as per usual when you're here."

She giggled and David raised his head to smile at her. "I love when you giggle like that. It's adorable."

"David," she warned.

"Come on, Erin," he whined a bit. "When are you going to take me up on my offer?"

"When are you going to accept the fact that dating is a horrible idea?"

"You thought this little arrangement we have now was a horrible idea at first and look how that turned out."

"Excuse me, this arrangement was my idea in the first place."

"Yes, but you've freaked out on me six times in the past few months."

"For good reason."

"So I wake up with a boner occasionally? Big deal," he scoffed, sitting up in bed.

"Every morning!" she exclaimed, sitting up as well.

"Hey, I'm a man, you're a gorgeous woman, it's bound to happen."

She felt her heart swell at him calling her gorgeous, but she was still hesitant to his asking her out on a date.

"Come on, Erin, please?" he asked, leaning down and kissing her shoulder gently. "I'll be a perfect gentleman, like I always am. One date. If it doesn't go well, that's fine, as long as you're still sleeping in my arms every night."

She watched him for a moment and felt her insides tingle and his adorable pout and pleading brown eyes. "I'm not saying no," she started off. "But I'm not saying yes, either." She paused to gather her thoughts and he nodded at her to continue. "I'm open to the idea, David, I am. Just not right now. Give me a little more time. I'm just, I'm not ready yet. I need time to process."

David nodded in complete understanding and reached out, hugging her tightly to him. "Just knowing that you're open to the idea is more than enough for me."

_Are you sleeping?_  
_Still dreaming?_  
_Still drifting off alone..._  
_I'm not leaving with this feeling_  
_So you'd better best be told_  
_And how in the world did you come_  
_To be such a lazy love?_

* * *

**The endddd! Haha So I started typing this at like 12 am and it's now 3 am. Holy crap. This was a long one! xD Anywayyyyy, I may be open to this being a prequel or something, but for right now it's just a stand alone. Sorry it's taken so long to update my other stories, I've kinda run dry and I was on vacation. But I'm hopefully gonna pound out another chapter for Bang Bang soon. Anyway, hit that review button and let me know what you think! Thanks! :)**

**PS - The song lyrics at the end are from the song Sleeping from the musical Once. I recommend the entire original broadway cast album, but that song itself is amazing. **


End file.
